Published: Saturday, August 17, 2013 at 8:00 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, August 16, 2013 at 2:42 p.m.

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When Ben Jones and Steavin Santiago stepped foot on campus as freshmen, they knew they had their work cut out for them in more ways than one. The Rattlers were coming off a 2-8 season, the numbers in the program were down, and the prospects for success looked dim.

Fast forward three years, though, and Jones, Santiago and the rest of Belleview's senior class believes they'll be leaving behind a program in much better shape than the one they joined in the fall of 2010.

"Improvement both mentally and physically," said Jones when asked to reflect upon his years as a Rattler. (Coach Phillip Yancey) is training us both for now and the future past high school."

You don't have to look far to see the improvement the entire program has made under Yancey, who is also entering his fourth season at Belleview. Now that Yancey will be seeing his first Belleview senior class all the way through, the program finally appears to be headed in the right direction.

Yancey's first two seasons both ended with 1-9 records. Last year, the Rattlers saw improvement and finished 3-7. This year's team appears poised for yet another leap forward.

"When I got to Belleview, we played the first two years with an awful lot of sophomores," Yancey said. "And the kind of people we have on our schedule, you aren't going to be very successful if you're playing with a lot of sophomores.

"Even last year we played with a lot of sophomores and juniors. Well, because Steavin and (his classmates) were my first ninth-grade class, now we're playing with seniors. Those guys have all been through two seasons of varsity football so everybody should be better."

With Yancey also serving as Belleview's weightlifting coach, he expects more out of his players during summer workouts in the weight room than most.

"It has been pretty tough, but we all know that it will make us better during the season," said Jones, a 6-foot-6, 255-pound offensive lineman.

Suffice to say, this senior class hasn't disappointed Yancey with its work ethic.

"Out of the 120 possible days we were working, (Santiago) didn't miss a day," Yancey said. "Those are the kind of guys that we are trying to build our program around.

"We are all about hard work and becoming as good an athlete as you can become."

For both Jones and Santiago, a 5-foot-10, 220-pound offensive lineman, the hard work has paid off.

Jones has been told that both Wisconsin and Memphis will be coming to watch him play in a game this year, while he said has received soft offers from Football Championship Subdivision schools such as Mercer, Wofford, Furman, Southeast Missouri and others.

"I've always wanted to go D-1 since I started playing," Jones said. "Now, its just a dream to have this opportunity to even be looked at by D-1 schools."

Neither Jones nor Santiago are ready to leave Belleview behind just yet, though. At the moment, Both are more concerned with their senior season and the state of the program than their own future plans.

"We want to make sure that (the younger players) will be able to take over where we left off after we leave and just keep bettering the program," Jones said. "I know Coach Yancey wants to see the program winning and I know I want to see the program continuing to win and get better."

Added Santiago: "In future years, I see Belleview improving as a team, a unit and a family."

As for this year's senior class, Yancey will always have a special place for it in his heart.

"I feel a lot of loyalty to them and they feel a lot of loyalty to the program because they've put in a lot of hard work, so they want to see it successful," Yancey said. "We have some great kids at Belleview High School."

<p>It has been a long road to find success for two Belleview High School senior linemen.</p><p>When Ben Jones and Steavin Santiago stepped foot on campus as freshmen, they knew they had their work cut out for them in more ways than one. The Rattlers were coming off a 2-8 season, the numbers in the program were down, and the prospects for success looked dim. </p><p>Fast forward three years, though, and Jones, Santiago and the rest of Belleview's senior class believes they'll be leaving behind a program in much better shape than the one they joined in the fall of 2010.</p><p>"Improvement both mentally and physically," said Jones when asked to reflect upon his years as a Rattler. (Coach Phillip Yancey) is training us both for now and the future past high school."</p><p>You don't have to look far to see the improvement the entire program has made under Yancey, who is also entering his fourth season at Belleview. Now that Yancey will be seeing his first Belleview senior class all the way through, the program finally appears to be headed in the right direction.</p><p>Yancey's first two seasons both ended with 1-9 records. Last year, the Rattlers saw improvement and finished 3-7. This year's team appears poised for yet another leap forward.</p><p>"When I got to Belleview, we played the first two years with an awful lot of sophomores," Yancey said. "And the kind of people we have on our schedule, you aren't going to be very successful if you're playing with a lot of sophomores.</p><p>"Even last year we played with a lot of sophomores and juniors. Well, because Steavin and (his classmates) were my first ninth-grade class, now we're playing with seniors. Those guys have all been through two seasons of varsity football so everybody should be better."</p><p>With Yancey also serving as Belleview's weightlifting coach, he expects more out of his players during summer workouts in the weight room than most. </p><p>"It has been pretty tough, but we all know that it will make us better during the season," said Jones, a 6-foot-6, 255-pound offensive lineman.</p><p>Suffice to say, this senior class hasn't disappointed Yancey with its work ethic.</p><p>"Out of the 120 possible days we were working, (Santiago) didn't miss a day," Yancey said. "Those are the kind of guys that we are trying to build our program around.</p><p>"We are all about hard work and becoming as good an athlete as you can become."</p><p>For both Jones and Santiago, a 5-foot-10, 220-pound offensive lineman, the hard work has paid off.</p><p>Jones has been told that both Wisconsin and Memphis will be coming to watch him play in a game this year, while he said has received soft offers from Football Championship Subdivision schools such as Mercer, Wofford, Furman, Southeast Missouri and others.</p><p>"I've always wanted to go D-1 since I started playing," Jones said. "Now, its just a dream to have this opportunity to even be looked at by D-1 schools."</p><p>Neither Jones nor Santiago are ready to leave Belleview behind just yet, though. At the moment, Both are more concerned with their senior season and the state of the program than their own future plans.</p><p>"We want to make sure that (the younger players) will be able to take over where we left off after we leave and just keep bettering the program," Jones said. "I know Coach Yancey wants to see the program winning and I know I want to see the program continuing to win and get better."</p><p>Added Santiago: "In future years, I see Belleview improving as a team, a unit and a family."</p><p>As for this year's senior class, Yancey will always have a special place for it in his heart.</p><p>"I feel a lot of loyalty to them and they feel a lot of loyalty to the program because they've put in a lot of hard work, so they want to see it successful," Yancey said. "We have some great kids at Belleview High School."</p>